{"id":1276,"date":"2025-06-04T03:01:59","date_gmt":"2025-06-04T03:01:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.diamondstatemanagement.com\/?p=1276"},"modified":"2025-06-07T15:04:26","modified_gmt":"2025-06-07T15:04:26","slug":"flowing-uk-river-becomes-engine-for-handcrafted-kinetic-installation-by-tom-matt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.diamondstatemanagement.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/04\/flowing-uk-river-becomes-engine-for-handcrafted-kinetic-installation-by-tom-matt\/","title":{"rendered":"flowing UK river becomes engine for handcrafted kinetic installation by tom & matt"},"content":{"rendered":"

‘Flow’ turns River Neath into a water-powered animation<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

\nLondon-based directing duo Tom Wrigglesworth and Matt Robinson \u2014 known collectively as Tom & Matt \u2014 unveil Flow, a short film powered entirely by wooden waterwheels and the natural current of the River Neath in South Wales. The outdoor installation<\/strong><\/a> combines analog animation techniques with environmental storytelling, aiming to spotlight the urgent need to protect the UK’s freshwater habitats. Set along a quiet, picturesque stretch of the River Neath \u2014 a site as vulnerable to pollution as it is beautiful \u2014 the project transforms the river itself into a kinetic<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0sculpture<\/strong><\/a> that brings the story of native wildlife to life through movement.<\/p>\n

\"flow
all images courtesy of Tom & Matt<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

tom & matt highlight the need to protect UK waterways<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Instead of relying on modern tech, Tom & Matt stripped the process down to its essentials: water, wood, and movement. As the river flows, it turns a series of custom-built waterwheels. Each of these 21 wheels holds eight hand-cut wooden paddles, each paddle a single frame in a looping wildlife animation. The result: animated sequences that quite literally come to life through the movement of water. The team constructed a total of 168 individual paddles, each cut from 2mm FSC-certified wood sourced from responsibly managed forests. These loops represent native aquatic species, imagined as emerging from beneath the surface and cycling in endless motion \u2014 until the river stops. ‘If the river stops, so does all the wildlife within,’<\/em> the directing duo<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0explains, underscoring the project’s message: flowing water is not only life-sustaining but essential to the very animation of ecosystems.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In contrast to the increasing dominance of AI and digital tools in filmmaking, Flow opts for tactility and simplicity. The project channels the spirit of early animation while delivering a contemporary environmental message \u2014 all without screens, batteries, or code. It’s a poetic reminder that sometimes, nature itself can be the most powerful storyteller.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\"flow
as the river flows, it turns a series of custom-built waterwheels<\/p>\n

\"flow
each of the wheels holds eight hand-cut wooden paddles, each paddle a single frame in a looping wildlife animation<\/p>\n

\"flow
animated sequences that quite literally come to life through the movement of water<\/p>\n

\"flow
the project transforms the river itself into a kinetic sculpture<\/p>\n

\t<\/p>\n

\n

\t\t\"flowing-uk-river-engine-handcrafted-kinetic-installation-tom-matt-designboom-full-02\"<\/p>\n

\n
\n

the project channels the spirit of early animation while delivering a contemporary environmental message<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

\t\t<\/p>\n

\"flow
the team constructed a total of 168 individual paddles<\/p>\n

\"flow
‘if the river stops, so does all the wildlife within,’ the directing duo\u00a0explains<\/p>\n

\t<\/p>\n

\n

\t\t\"flowing-uk-river-engine-handcrafted-kinetic-installation-tom-matt-designboom-full-01\"<\/p>\n

\n
\n

the project highlights that flowing water is essential to the very animation of ecosystems<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

\t\t<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

project info:<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

name:<\/strong>\u00a0Flow
\ndirectors:<\/strong>\u00a0Tom & Matt<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

designboom has received this project from our\u00a0<\/i>DIY submissions<\/i><\/a>\u00a0feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers\u00a0<\/i>here.<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

edited by: myrto katsikopoulou | designboom<\/i><\/p>\n

The post flowing UK river becomes engine for handcrafted kinetic installation by tom & matt<\/a> appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

‘Flow’ turns River Neath into a water-powered animation   London-based directing duo Tom Wrigglesworth and Matt Robinson \u2014 known collectively as Tom & Matt \u2014 unveil Flow, a short film powered entirely by wooden waterwheels and the natural current of the River Neath in South Wales. The outdoor installation combines analog animation techniques with environmental […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1278,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.diamondstatemanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1276"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.diamondstatemanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.diamondstatemanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.diamondstatemanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.diamondstatemanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1276"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.diamondstatemanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1276\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1286,"href":"http:\/\/www.diamondstatemanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1276\/revisions\/1286"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.diamondstatemanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1278"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.diamondstatemanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1276"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.diamondstatemanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1276"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.diamondstatemanagement.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}